Tag: cities

NASAscientists have created a new software program that can show how cities in coastal regions are endangered by flooding and sea level rise caused by global warming. The simulation shows how 300 coastal cities will be affected in the next century.

The software was developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It calculates which ice sheets and glaciers are melting and how the additional water influences coastal regions. It takes into consideration the rotation of the Earth as well as the influence of gravity. The results are surprising. Sea levels will actually decrease around cities closer to ice masses, while the biggest rises will occur through ice caps that are farther away.

New York, for example, will be most affected by melting ice caps in northeastern Greenland. Sydney, on the other hand, will actually be influenced by parts of Antarctica that are far away from Australia’s city.

The software aims at helping city planners prepare for sea level changes within the next few decades and how to keep ocean water out.

A climate report published this week shows that, since 1900, global sea levels have risen by about 20 cm, with half of the rise occurring in the last 25 years. Projections show that by 2100 ocean levels will rise by an average of 1 metre, however, the rise will not affect all coastal areas in the same way.

Ice Sheet in Greenland – Image: Christine Zenino

Words

actually = in fact

additional = extra

affect = change

aim = here: what it wants to do and who it wants to help

average = here: evenly spread out across all oceans

calculate = here: find out how much something will change by using numbers

century = a hundred years

coastal = where land meets the sea

decade = ten years

decrease = go down

develop = create , make

endangered = to be in danger

flooding = when land becomes covered with water

glacier = very large mass of ice which moves down a valley

global = worldwide

global warming = the increase in the world’s temperatures by higher amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

gravity = force or power that causes something to fall to the ground and stay there

Deadly smog has returned to Delhi. Air pollution reached several times the level suggested by the World Health Organisation. People were told to stay indoors and not walk on the streets of the world’s most polluted city. Doctors declared a state of emergency and some schools in the city stayed closed.

Smog in northern India is a big problem, especially during the winter months. From November to March cold temperatures forcepollutants and dirt particles closer to the ground, mixing with the foggy air. Low wind speeds and dust from construction siteshave also contributed to high pollution levels in the area.

Environmentalists say that factories and traffic are the biggest causes of smog. In addition, farmers in northern India burn the leftovers of crops after harvest and therefore produce more smoke.

Critics say that Indian government is not doing enough to protect India’s second-largest city. New measurestook effect last October. Traffic became more regulated and several power plants were shut down. Authorities also want to restrict the personal use of cars to every second day, a measure that already worked in the past.

Last November Delhi was hit by the highest air pollution levels in 20 years, forcing over a million children to stay at home. Researchersclaim that 2.5 million Indians die of pollution every year.

Smog in Delhi – Image: Saurabh Kumar

Words

air pollution = when the air becomes dirty through factories and cars

authorities = official organisation or a government department that has the power to make decisions

cause = reason

claim = to say that something is true

construction sites = places where new houses are built

contribute = to help make something happen

declare = to say something officially, in public

environmentalist = person who cares about nature and the world around us

especially = above all

dust = dry powder made up of small bits of dirt

fog = cloudy air near the ground which is difficult to see through

force = to make something happen

government = the people who rule a country

harvest = when crops are gathered from the fields

in addition = also

leftovers = here: leaves and stems that are left over when crops are harvested

measure = action

particle = very small piece of something

pollutant = substance that makes air and water dirty

power station = building that produces energy and electricity

regulated = controlled

researcher = person who studies a topic closely in order to find out more about it

restrict = limit; control

several = many

shut down = close

smog = a mixture of smoke and fog

state of emergency = when the government gives itself special powers in order to try to get a dangerous situation under control

take effect = when something starts to work

therefore = that is why

World Health Organisation = international organisation that helps countries improve their people’s health by giving medicine and providing information about diseases